The Sleeper
by iEvenstarEstel
Summary: A Sleeper: A person who has been subjected to mind control techniques. They are used by enemy forces to spy, to conduct sabotage, and to assassinate certain targets. The Sleeper doesn't know what he is doing.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Sleeper **  
Author:** Evenstar Estel **  
Rating:** T **  
Characters/Pairing:** Connor/Abby, Cutter, Helen, Danny, Becker, Sarah, Lester, Jenny, The Cleaner. **  
Spoiler:** Series 3, Episode 2 and diverges off from there. **  
Genre:** Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance. **  
Warnings:** Torture. Character Death.  
**Summary:** A Sleeper: A person who has been subjected to mind control techniques, such as drugs, torture, psychological conditioning, implanted devices, and even telepathic manipulation who then are either released, or allowed to escape back to friendly territory. These sleeper agents are then used by enemy forces to spy, to conduct sabotage, to assassinate certain targets, or for other operations the enemy has in mind for them. During these outbreaks, the sleeper agent doesn't know what he is doing.

Author's Note: **It's important to trust the author and stick with it, as it gets rather twisty.** After just finishing up a rather detailed and epic tale, this one will be more succinct.

The Sleeper  
2010 Evenstar Estel

Chapter 1

Connor didn't remember the last thing he'd been doing before he was taken. He remembered having breakfast with Abby in the flat. They'd had peanut butter on toast. It was her organic stuff that had only peanuts in it and not the sugary crap laden with salt that he was used to. The tea had been hot and he'd burnt his tongue. Abby had been wearing only her knickers and vest and she'd caught him staring her breasts more than once, but only chastised him playfully. Lately she'd been a little more _open_ to him. He wondered if things were finally progressing beyond friendship. It was the least of his concerns at the present moment. He returned to consciousness with his head throbbing and his vision blurry. When it came slowly in to focus he found himself alone in a concrete cell, similar to the one that cop called Danny Quinn had him in, only here there was no bed, toilet or sink, just cold gray walls and a single dim bulb hanging above his head. Connor shivered and noticed finally that he'd been stripped down to his boxers. He began to shake and soon to panic when he realized he was bound to a chair of some sort that had been bolted to the floor. Furthermore he began to gag. There was something akin to a horse bit forced in between his teeth. It wasn't metal, but some sort of hard acrylic. It was strapped around the back of his head so tight that he couldn't budge it no matter how hard he tried.

He stayed that way for three hours before the door opened. He started to struggle a new when he saw who was entering the room. It was Helen Cutter, followed by the soldier he'd dubbed The Cleaner. He brought with him a machine on wheels. Connor knew what it was and what it would do and he stared wide eyed and terrified at the demented woman. She smiled at him, feigning kindness, but he could see the dragon behind those eyes, the monster within, the type of delusional insanity that thought what she was about to do would be okay.

"Hello Connor," she said, her voice saccharine, but clearly amused by his predicament. She gathered up the round little sticky pads with the wires attached to them and approached. Connor could only growl and grunt at her in protest as she affixed them to his chest, stomach and thighs. "It's a shame you had such a happy childhood, the death of your father when you were sixteen not withstanding. My associate Colonel Jaimeson has assured me that this is the appropriate way to begin for someone who is relatively psychologically sound. Had you been abused in some way there would have been other options. I'm afraid I have to defer to his expertise in this instance. You'll meet him later. He's quite looking forward to it." She ruffled his hair and smiled again before returning to the machine. She turned first to The Cleaner and instructed him in the method to be used, then back to Connor. "We'll see each other later, dear boy."

Then she turned on the juice and everything went white.

*!*!*

Connor awoke again to the sound of ice being poured into a bucket. He was wet with his own sweat and cold, except where the patches had been attached to his flesh, those spots tingled and itched and twinged with pain. He was in the same chair as before, only it wasn't a regular chair. It was more like the kind one found at a dentist's. He'd been reclined and was now laying on his back, still strapped down to the point where the restraints bit into his flesh. The lightbulb above him somehow seemed brighter, almost blinding. The bit was gone from between his teeth and his jaw ached something fierce. His muscles seized and cramped and he whimpered. The effects of Helen's first 'treatment' would be long lasting.

"Who's there?" he asked croakily.

"Ah, glad you see you back with us, Mr. Temple," said a male voice. He came into Connor's view. He was older, caucasian, in his sixties, but built like a tank. He wore a military uniform, but Connor couldn't tell what kind. It was too dark in the room. He spoke with an American accent, possibly Canadian. Connor hadn't the foggiest idea. "I'm Colonel Jaimeson. You're an especially resilient young man, you impressed me, boy. You barely made a sound. Usually they're screamin' for their momma's inside of one minute. You're tough, tougher than they think you are, but you ain't tougher than me. Of course it would have been easier in the long run if you had cried for momma. We might've had to skip this part. We're going to try something tried and true. Now keep in mind that it doesn't matter what you say or do from here on out. I'll know when the time to stop is right."

"Stop... stop what? Why's Helen doing this?"

"Mrs. Cutter has an objective and she hired me to help her achieve that objective."

"You won't break me!"

"Heh. Boy, you won't know when you're broken. That's the beauty of it." Colonel Jaimeson picked up the bucket of ice and hooked it to the ceiling above Connor's head. "I'll be back in a couple a days. It was nice to meet yah before you go bye-bye." He slapped Connor's thigh and left him alone. There was nothing but silence and shivering for Connor for several minutes. He tested his restraints and felt them bite into his flesh. It was then that he noticed a strap across his neck and that he couldn't lift his head up. A second later he felt a cold drip of water hit him right between his eyes, then running down the creases of his face. He cried out at the shock it, it was icy cold. A few seconds later it happened again and he shook his head violently. _Drip. Drip. Drip. _

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

A day later, Connor was wailing and sobbing nonstop.

*!*!*

All trussed up just like Alex DeLarge in the middle of the Ludovico Technique, eyes pried open and forced to fixate on the screen before him. That's what Connor Temple was. They'd moved him to somewhere new but he remained his as immobile as ever. This place was hot, unbearably hot, and sweat dripped from every pore. Connor didn't pay it any mind. In fact he didn't even know where he was what or his own name. All he knew was what he was being shown, absorbing it, feeling it become a part of him. He was a blank canvas, being painted upon to make up the new version of himself. When it was all said and done, he'd be Helen Cutter's instrument. He resisted as best he could. He thought almost solely of Abby, trying desperately to hold her image in his mind along with the sound of her voice and her scent. The memories of her fractured and disintegrated, along with all the others.

"You enjoy your work a little too much, Colonel," said Helen as she observed the computer screens before her, Colonel Jaimeson at her side along with several of her cloned soldiers.

"Enjoy? No, not I can't say that I do. I have spent the better part of my life fighting in futile wars, there isn't much to enjoy in this world. I found out what I was good at and applied myself. It's been put to good use by my government, and by yours I might add. No, it's pride, ma'am. A man must take pride in what he's good at. Operant conditioning is a very specified field, as are the methods to facilitate it."

"Yes, indeed. You _are_ very good at your job. Are you certain these images you're showing him will implant the correct skills necessary to complete the tasks?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head, he'll come outta this exactly how you want him. As soon as we're finished up here, we can put on the final touches, then it's up to your Docs to put in the implants and he'll be all set."

"Excellent."

*!*!*

"What's your name?" Helen asked, sitting across from Connor. He was in his cell again, strapped to his chair. His pupils were fully dilated and his eyes looked completely black.

"Connor Temple," he replied in monotone.

"Who am I?"

"Helen Cutter."

"Good. What does the word _chiaroscuro _mean to you?"

"Chiaroscuro. Complete phase one."

"What does the word _heliotrope _mean to you?"

"Heliotrope. Complete phase two."

"Repeat to me the trigger for phase three." Connor repeated the words and Helen Cutter's face lit up in a cruel smile.

tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: **Yes, evil author is evil. Y'all should know me by now and the kind of stories I tell. So keep the faith, it'll be rewarded. You may go ahead and cruxify my now. I promise I'll write an uber-fluffy fic after this.**

Chapter 2

"Hey Conn! Did you have a nice time visiting your mum? Get her all settled in the new place?" said Abby as he entered their flat. Rex chirped and swooped above to welcome him home and Connor stared at him for quite some time until Abby was in front of him. "Connor?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, yeah. She likes the new house, much cozier than the old one and a lot less to manage," he replied, setting his bag down.

"You're lucky Lester let you have the two weeks after just emailing him to say you were taking off. It's been hell without you." She gave him a peck on the cheek and took his arm, tugging deeper into the flat. "I'm glad you're back. There's tea and toast if you're hungry. We've got half an hour before we leave! You must've gotten up so early to get back at this hour." She was flitting around like a hummingbird, tidying up the flat and pulling on her hoody and socks.

"Yeah, it was a long train ride. There any of that peanut butter left?"

"Yep! And another jar in waiting." He went into the kitchen and prepared his breakfast and eventually Abby joined him to finish her tea.

"Have I missed much?" She shook her head.

"Honestly, it's been dead. You'd have been bored out of your mind. Cutter and Sarah have been working hard though! They're still stumped about the artifact, so that'll fall to you I think. He's progressing on his model, you'll _love _it. I can't make heads or tails of it to be honest."

"We can look at it together. Once the professor's got it finished I'll map it into the computer, create a working digital model of it. I might be able to extrapolate it into a linear timeline and see if there's a secondary pattern."

"That sounds brilliant. Sarah's been researching up a storm with her mythology angle. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. You remember that cop you ran a foul of? Well, he's been worming his way into our territory, Cutter finally had it out with him and it looks like he might be sticking around."

"Danny Quinn, right? Tall, menacing and ginger?"

"That's him. You'll like him, he's a bit Allan Quartermain, the proper comic book version, not the Sean Connery one."

"Abby! You've been reading The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?"

"Well, it gets boring when you're not around." Connor smiled, feeling a lovely warmth bubbling up inside him. If she'd been reading his comic books that meant she'd been in his room. He thanked the gods above he didn't have porn stash. She returned his smile and finished off her tea. "Come on then, duty calls."

*!*!*

Connor's return heralded a flurry of activity. There was an anomaly call in a hospital that left behind two little diictodons, whom he and Abby couldn't help but fall in love with. They brought them home to the flat and immediately it felt like they belonged. Rex was elated to have playmates and once the two new dinosaurs had feasted on apples and spinach they made themselves comfortable on the sofa, perfectly content to accept the flat as their new den. He retired to his own bedroom and lay awake for some time. He knew he'd just been with his mum for the past two weeks, helping her move, but for some reason he couldn't recall what her new house looked like. It was strange. He also couldn't remember the train ride home early that morning, yet he _knew_ he'd been on it. He even had the stub from his fare. The flat was quiet as the grave at 2am, so when his cell phone began to vibrate by way of his nightstand he noticed it instantly. He picked it up and looked at the display. It simply read _unknown caller._ He flipped it open and put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said tentatively.

"Chiaroscuro," replied the voice on the other end. The call was disconnected and the phone was set aside. Connor rose from the bed and dressed himself in dark clothing. He went to his duffel bag and reached inside, drawing out the gun complete with silencer that was hiding inside under his clothes. He picked up his shoes and padded downstairs silently. He exited the flat via the back door off of the kitchen and took the long zig zag of the wrought iron steps down to the street before pausing to put on his shoes. He pulled his black hood up over his head and concealed his face and then began to jog out of the alley to the street. There, a car was waiting for him. He got in. He was driven across town and let out one block from his destination. He did not knock on the front door, but instead stealthily made his way to the garden. There, he found the spare key in the flower pot where it had always been kept. He unlocked the door to the conservatory and entered the house. He used a bandana he'd had in his pocket so as not to leave fingerprints.

Nick Cutter was asleep on the beaten up old leather couch in his reception room, papers strewn about. He was still in his clothes and an empty glass of whiskey sat next to the half empty bottle on the coffee table. Connor stood over his friend and mentor and held the gun aloft, pointing it towards the older man's head. He pulled the trigger and the bullet entered Nick Cutter through his forehead. Connor lowered his arm and picked up the cordless telephone that rested near the whiskey bottle, once again using his bandana. He dialed the correct number with his finger under a corner of the cloth and waited.

"Hello Jenny? It's me," said Connor in a perfect mimic of Cutter's voice and accent. "I need you to come over immediately, it's incredibly important. Please don't tell anyone, I need this to be between you and me only. Come through the conservatory in the back garden. Yes, alright. I'll see you soon."

Jenny arrived forty minutes later to find what she thought was a sleeping Nick on his couch. She slumped forward and crumpled to the floor when the second bullet fired in the house this night penetrated her skull through the back of her head. Connor returned to the waiting vehicle and he was driven back to his flat. He entered the same way he'd left and the flat remained perfectly quiet and undisturbed. He'd only been gone two hours. He hid his gun and stripped back down to his boxers and climbed in bed. He lay his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. With phase one of Helen Cutter's plan successfully executed, he fell asleep in thirty seconds.

The next morning Connor was wakened by the sound of Abby on the telephone with someone, she was crying.

*!*!*

Connor felt numb. He was huddled with Abby in Lester's office in the ARC while Becker read the details of what had occurred the night before at Professor Cutter's house. There was no footage from any of the CCTV cameras in Cutter's neighbourhood. There'd conveniently been a shortage in the system. There was little to no evidence of there having been someone else in the house, no sign of forced entry. The conservatory door had been unlocked, while the rest of the house remained shut tight.

"If someone used a key, then they knew where to find it," hypothesized Connor. Abby threaded her fingers through his and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Or already had one. Helen Cutter would've done. I doubt he changed the locks after she disappeared the first time."

"Yes," agreed Lester, sitting behind his desk, a stern look on his face. Danny Quinn leaned against the wall. Connor hadn't gotten a chance to know him much beyond their first encounter, but apparently in the past two weeks whilst Connor had been at his mum's Quinn and Cutter had gotten to be friends. He seemed the likely person to take charge, but he remained silent. Connor knew the wheels were turning in that head as much as they were in his own. Quinn didn't know Helen Cutter however, Connor did. Of course she was behind this. For what purpose though? Having Jenny be there too would've suggested the woman was jealous, but Connor knew Cutter still had at least compassion for his wife. He would've tried to assuage her in some way. This was just a cold blooded killing. "Right," continued Lester. "Captain, you and Quinn continue your investigation. You have top clearance. Connor, you and Dr. Page will continue with the Professor's model and investigating the artifact. Miss Maitland will monitor the anomaly detector in your stead. I have a meeting with the Minister. Christine Johnson's been nosing around again in light of what's happened I need her kept at bay as we solve this. Go."

They filed out of the office and Connor made to go in the direction of Cutter's office, but Abby wouldn't let go of his hand. "Abby?" he asked. Quickly she pulled him close and kissed him, hard and needy. When they parted she gave him a watery smile.

"Don't go anywhere without me, okay?" she asked. He touched her cheek and returned her smile.

"I won't." He hugged her, breathing in the soft scent of her shampoo before letting her go. He shivered when she left him. He felt a little less numb.

*!*!*

Connor wished he had the courage to have invited Abby into his bed, even if it was just to sleep. He'd waited until she was fast asleep before coming up to bed himself. He'd fed their pets, tucking the diictodons, now called Sid and Nancy, into their new basket. He triple checked every lock in the flat and even spent a span of time in the dark looking down on the street to make sure no one was watching the flat. He couldn't sleep, despite feeling completely exhausted. He'd slept a good six hours the night before and usually that was enough to go on. He felt like he'd barely had a couple of hours to sustain him all day. He yawned and stretched and tossed himself on to the bed. He was dozing when his cell phone started to vibrate. He fumbled and found it in his jeans pocket. _Unknown caller._ He frowned, feeling a sense of deja vu.

"He... hello?" he asked tentatively.

"Heliotrope," replied the voice. Connor rose from the bed and repeated his routine from the night before.

This journey was much longer, they travelled in the car to outside of London by two hours. It was 3am, early Saturday morning and Sir James Lester would be at the family home for the weekend. The security system was subtly disabled by one of Helen's techs, allowing Connor to scale the wall at the back end of the property. The estate was grand, but not overly large. Lester's children kept dogs, but they were toy Pomeranians and though they could alert anyone to intruders, they would be easily dispatched if proved to be an issue. Connor moved silently through the garden and remained in the shadows, observing Lester sitting at his desk in his study, nursing a snifter of brandy while going over stacks of papers. He looked stressed. The night was warm and he had the window open. This was fortuitous. There wouldn't be the sound of breaking glass to prematurely alert anyone to the crime. Lining the gun up perfectly, Connor pulled the trigger. The snifter fell from Lester's hand and did no break when it landed on the carpet, but the brandy seeped into it, staining it. Moments later the brandy mixed with blood. James Lester was dead from a single bullet in the brain, head resting on the desk, his papers red with blood as it flowed across the desk to the floor below.

Connor returned to the waiting car, then to his flat, then to bed.

They were awakened by the pounding of fists on their front door two hours later. Danny Quinn waited on the other side, his face morose.

"There's been another murder. Murders, actually," he spoke. "It was Lester... and Christine Johnson."

*!*!*

Christine Johnson had been shot in her flat, just as Lester had been shot at home. The housekeeper had discovered him early in the morning. Connor thought about Lester's wife and children and how devastated they must be. He couldn't spare too much empathy for Christine Johnson, but despite the fact that was was ruthless and heartless, murder would not have been his choice of method to be rid of her. It couldn't have been the same killer as the murders happened at relatively the same time. That did not however rule out Helen Cutter being behind them. Danny had taken charge fully and had ordered guards posted around Connor and Abby's flat. Connor and Abby had briefly gone to the ARC to retrieve any important data, devices and papers. This included the artifact. Connor wasn't willing to let it out of his sight. Logically he knew that the ARC was more secure, but something inside him told him it was his sole responsibility. Becker had insisted he be the one to personally guard Sarah and had returned with her to her flat with several of his men. Danny felt not personal threat, but he too was on edge. He chose to go back and forth between the three locations with his own small entourage, overseeing everything. Another team was actively searching for Helen Cutter, but for all anyone knew she could be off in the Permian or the Jurassic.

Connor and Abby ate dinner together in silence. They ordered an Indian takeaway, but barely managed to eat any of it. Neither had an appetite. Fear, confusion and worry plagued them. They settled down to watch a film and Abby didn't shy away from curling herself around Connor and taking comfort in the circle of his arms. A few minutes into the film Abby stopped it and turned to Connor. They stared at each other for a brief moment before crashing together in a passionate embrace. The kiss was desperate and voracious. Lips, teeth and tongues all mashed together in desperate wanting born out of the culmination of the peril and loss of the past days. They tore at each other's clothes, desperate to feel skin against skin. Together they stumbled towards Abby's room and fell naked together on the bed. Seconds later Connor was on top of Abby and then he was inside her, thrusting frantically as they clawed at each other. Neither lasted very long and were climaxing together a few short minutes later. They dissolved into tears, cleaving and clutching each other in shared woe.

Their second time was tender. With the initial grief and fears purged, they spent their time. They gave more than they took, pouring every ounce of loving emotion they could into their coupling. They held each other's gaze, neither willing to break away from the other. They moved together until the breaking point came and once more they were engulfed in orgasm. Afterwards Connor settled himself at Abby's side, looking down on her as he caressed her shoulders and neck. In the darkness of the room Abby never noticed the patches on his skin from the electrical burns and Connor had been programmed not to.

"You don't regret it, do you?" asked Connor in a quiet, nervous voice. Abby smiled up at him and shook her head.

"No, Conn, not at all. It's never been like that for me... it was beautiful. Thank you," she replied, craning her neck to kiss his mouth before settling back down .

"I love you, Abby. After all that's happened, I'm not afraid to say it anymore. I love you."

"Oh Connor. I... I'm not afraid either. I love you." She smiled and waited to see joy light up his face. She knew how long he'd waited to hear those words spill from her lips. She was worried when a blank, detached stare fell over him. "Connor? What's wrong?" He moved swiftly and precisely, closing both his hands around her throat. His grip was so strong that she couldn't even draw in a single gasp of air, not let out a single cry. She beat at him with her fists, kicked at him with her legs, but he was shockingly strong. Colours invaded her sight until she could no longer see his emotionless face. Her head felt like it was about to explode from the pressure inside. Her lungs burned and her limbs ached something fierce. Conscious thought evaporated and she felt herself float away.

Connor released his grip around Abby's throat. He checked her pulse and found none. Her windpipe was crushed. She was positively dead. He rose from the bed and left the bedroom. He walked naked up to his own room and put on his clothes, the same dark clothing he'd worn the previous two nights. He found the gun and removed the silencer. He returned to the downstairs and opened his phone and punched in an archaic code. Moments later an anomaly appeared in the middle of the flat. The diictodons scrambled away in fear and Rex cowered in the rafters. Helen Cutter stepped through.

"Is phase three complete?" she asked. He handed her the artifact from the future and she took it from him.

"Yes, phase three is complete. Abby Maitland is dead. You have the artifact. Phase three is complete."

"Good work, Connor. Now, there's just one more thing for you do." There was a pounding on the flat door and Danny's voice shouting for Connor and Abby to open it. He's been in the ARC vehicle down on the street and had seen the explosion of light in the flat.

"When this anomaly closes behind me, your work will be finished. You will remember. You will remember all that happened since I first brought you to me. You will remember Colonel Jaimeson and what he did to you. You will remember killing Nick, Jenny Lewis, James Lester and you will remember killing Abby after she told you that she loved you. I won't have any power over you any more after that, but I suggest you take that gun in your hand and put it in your mouth and pull the trigger." The door broke down and the sound of soldiers rushing in alerted Helen that her time was up. She spared Connor a last glance and smiled. "Thank you for your help. It was invaluable." She stepped back through the anomaly and it snapped shut.

Danny Quinn made it to the top of the stairs just in time to see Connor Temple swallow his gun and pull the trigger.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Professor! Professor! Come quick!" shouted Abby as she rushed from the hospital room to where Nick was talking with the doctor. She met him at the door and grabbed him by the sleeve of his coat, pulling him into the room. Connor looked the same, laying in his bed, staring blankly at nothing. He was catatonic. Nick sighed and waited for Abby to explain why she'd gotten so excited. The doctor had joined them and was examining his patient once more.

"What happened?" asked Nick, trying to suss out why she was smiling.

"I was talking to him and he squeezed my hand." Nick nodded and patted Abby' shoulder.

"That's good, Abby. Isn't it, doctor?" The doctor sighed, hating to dash all the lovely young lady's hopes.

"I'm afraid his condition is unchanged. It was probably just a muscle spasm," said the doctor.

"No!" Abby protested. "He knew it was me! He squeezed my hand!"

"I'll be back in a little while. The the cat scan results should be available." With a curt nod, the doctor exited the room. Nick turned to Abby.

"Don't listen to him. He doesn't know Connor like we do. Stay with him, I'm going to talk to the others," he said. Abby nodded and lay back down on the bed next to Connor, laying her head on his shoulder and holding his hand. If that girl didn't realize by now how much she loved the young man, she never would, Nick thought to himself. The professor had woken shortly after dawn to a rather shocking scene, Connor Temple standing over him with a gun pointed in his direction. Nick had hurriedly rolled away and was stunned to find that Connor was immobile. He approached cautiously and disarmed him, but after that, there was nothing. Connor could be made to sit or stand or even lay down, but he was completely disconnected. He'd first called Danny and Becker to join him at home before they'd decided between the three of them that Connor needed medical attention, which was when Abby and the others had been brought in. Now they waited.

It was half an hour later that the doctor returned, looking rather concerned. Between the core team of the ARC, only Nick, Abby and Danny remained. They gathered around Connor, with Abby still holding his hand, refusing to let go for even a moment.

"I know you're all government, so I'm prepared for the fact that I won't get a straight answer," began the doctor. He put the CT-Scans up on the light display on the wall. He circled the five white dots on the fiche. "Those are implants."

"What do you mean?" asked Nick. "Why does Connor have implants in his head?"

"I can't tell you why, Mr. Cutter. I can only tell you what has occurred. Five holes were drilled into Mr. Temple's skull and these five implants were inserted. We did further scans... these implants, whatever they're nature, are sending impulses into his brain, specifically the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal gyri, and precuneus, which in layman's terms are the centers for fear, pain and anxiety."

"Continue...'

"What it means in that these implants are stimulating his fear and his pain and frankly, though it's out of this world, it would explain his catatonic state. It's a defense mechanism."

"Can you remove them?" interjected Abby, her expression somewhere between sheer panic and hope.

"Yes, I think we can. I've already scheduled a theater and your Mr. Lester has requested the top neurosurgeon in the country perform the surgery."

"If they come out, will he be himself again?"

"I can't make any promises. There is certainly a possibility."

"Listen Doc," said Danny. "When these things come out, will they still be sending their signals?"

"I'm sorry, this isn't my area of expertise. I don't know _what_ these implants are, only that they're there."

"Alright, but save them. We'll want them."

"Very well. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to brief the team that'll be working on Mr. Temple." Once they were alone, they closed ranks around Connor, contemplating the strange circumstances that surrounded him.

"Danny, why would you want the implants? asked Abby.

"You're all scientists. I was a copper, so I'm thinking like one! Whatever's in his head's come from somewhere, we're going to trace their origins. I'm going to investigate everything that's happened to him, retrace his steps. I've got his phone, I'll find everywhere he's been, so on and so forth. There'll be clues in there somewhere. I've already found out that he never went to his mum's and she never moved house. Abby, maybe later we can have a conversation?"

"Yes, anything to help. I'll be here."

"Course, love, wouldn't expect you to be anywhere else. Cutter, I'll be in touch soon as I know anything."

"Thank you, yeah... I've got a little digging of my own to do."

*!*!*

The nurses and doctors all told Abby that Connor wouldn't be coming out of the anesthetic for at least a couple of hours and even then, he wouldn't necessary be free of the catatonia that plagued him. She ignored them and molded herself to Connor's body, laying her head on his chest and hugging around his middle. She knew she probably shouldn't be on the bed, but she didn't care. She avoided the IVs and the monitors and wouldn't interfere. She just didn't want Connor to feel alone.

Danny and Nick were off pursuing their hunches about what had happened to him. Abby couldn't bear to think of it. As far as she knew Connor had been away helping his mum move house, but clearly that hadn't been the case. She couldn't hold back her tears and she hugged him close, crying into his chest. She couldn't lose him, not without telling him her true feelings. She couldn't lose him at all. She cursed her stupidity at never taking the chance he once so clearly offered her. He'd become so guarded around her over time, never flirting anymore, never trying to gain her affections in his silly boyish ways. No, he'd settled. He'd accepted the little crumbs she dolled out to him and never asked for more. She'd been such an fool. She vowed that everything was going to change for the better between them the moment he woke up. She was going to shower him with love and affection and make sure he never had a doubt about how much he meant to her.

*!*!*

Nick sighed, passing the gun to Captain Becker. He spared one more glance at his wife's dead body and turned to leave. Danny Quinn had proven invaluable. Using some of his police resources he'd managed to correlate the signals in the Connor's removed implants and those from the calls made to his cell phone. Helen had of course covered her tracks, but Danny was tenacious and creative and had managed to track Helen to a well hidden underground facility. The place had been in an uproar before they'd even arrived. Helen had been in a rage over the failure of her plan to use Connor to assassinate the ARC team. She'd killed Colonel Jaimeson because his programing of Connor had failed. She'd gone berserk on some of her clones. Her whole world had been falling apart, and seeing Nick had been the final straw. She'd gone into some sort of nonsensical exposition about her ruined plans and all the while behind her on multiple screens played the evidence of what had happened to Connor.

Nick had tried to argue with her, to talk her into surrendering. Danny had pulled his gun on her, as had Becker and his entourage of soldiers. Her remaining clones had acted in retaliation and there was an exchange of gun fire and bodies falling all around them. He'd gone for Helen and in the end, he'd gotten the upper had and disarmed her. Behind him the soldiers and the clones were still fighting and he and Helen were backed into a corner. She hadn't believed he'd actually shoot her and she'd taunted him. The sounds of Connor's cries and wails replaying on the surveillance system and invaded his mind. The boy had been tortured at Helen's hand and now she was spouting her delusional ideas about changing the future, destroying the past, the fate of mankind, etc. She attacked him with her bare hands and on reflex he'd pulled the trigger.

Becker took the gun and passed it to one of his men. "I'm sorry you had to do that," said Becker.

"Doesn't matter. I don't know who that woman is. I don't think I ever did," replied the professor. "Can you please shut off the sound on those screens!"

"Right away."

"Uh... we need to take all of this with us. I.. I guess I'll need to watch what she's done to him to figure out how to undo it."

"I can do it with you," offered Danny, looking over at Helen's dead body. "I suspect I've seen a few more things along this line than you have. I used to work special victims for a while... until it got to be too much."

"Thank you... yes, I... thank you."

*!*!*

Days turned into weeks and Connor remained in a coma. The implants were gone and he was healing. Abby finally realized she couldn't spend twenty four hours seven days a week with him. She had their animals to tend to, but she wasn't willing to do much in regards to the ARC without Connor there. She'd foolishly insisted on viewing the scenes of what Connor had been through, thinking it would help prepare her for when he finally woke up, if he ever did. She'd lasted ten minutes of watching him be electrocuted before having to run to the toilets to throw up. Nick had told her the rest of it, but she couldn't watch it. Finding out that the trigger to initiate Connor killing her was for her to tell him she loved him was beyond cruel. She knew Nick and Danny had watched all of it and that the professor had no regrets about killing Helen after that. The implants in Connor's brain were to reinforce his programming. If he resisted the command to kill, he'd be shocked with unbearable pain. Somehow Connor had endured, his instincts to protect his loved ones had been strong enough. The evil woman's entire plan had been preposterous. Nick was certain she could have chosen other, more succinct methods to enter the ARC and steal the artifact, she simply didn't care to. She wanted to hurt people, she was insane. Christina Johnson had been killed by one of Helen's clones. The problem with the Christine Johnsons of the world was that there was always someone to take her place. For the time being however things were quiet. Anomalies still popped up and there were still creatures to be dealt with, but the team remained strong and waited for Connor and Abby to rejoin them.

*!*!*

Abby had decided that Connor needed a shave. He'd been laying there unconscious for almost three weeks and no one had tended to his beard. The nurses and orderlies gave him his sponge baths and tended to his more personal needs. Abby gave him his privacy even though he was still in his coma. She didn't want to cross over any boundaries that may or may not have existed between them. However, giving him a shave wasn't _too_ intimate she surmised. She cleaned the last of the gel from his face and kissed his cheek.

"There, good as new," she said. She cleaned up her mess and returned to find him awake and looking out the window at the massive oak tree that grew outside. "Connor?"

"Abby? Why am I in the hospital?"

tbc

**So, am I forgiven a lil' bit?**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

He'd been healing all the weeks he'd been in the hospital and physically he was fully mended. His brain activity was within normal levels and the thin holes in his head were healing perfectly. The electrical burns on his body had faded and would only ever be a slight discoloration on his skin. There was no physical reason for him to remain. His psychology was an entirely different matter. The doctors couldn't say if his amnesia was permanent or not. He was released a few days later into Abby's care. His first day home was pleasant. Abby insisted that he rest on the couch while she waited on him hand and foot. She even paused between bringing him food and putting on DVDs for him to kiss him. _Really_ kiss him. He was a little confused, uncertain why things had shifted between them, but incredibly happy they had. No one would tell him what had happened, except that he'd had a head injury. When he asked Abby about it she just shook her head and fought back tears, prompting her to hug him so tightly that breathing became an issue.

Camped out on the sofa with Sid and Nancy was nice, but the questions and doubts that preyed on his mind were getting to him. On his second night home his memories came flooding back to him in vivid technicolour. As it turned out, all he needed was a proper rest to get himself sorted. Somewhere between a nightmare and waking, his body was overwhelmed with the tortures that had been inflicted upon him. He remembered Colonel Jaimeson, Helen Cutter and her clones. They'd made him kill Nick and Jenny. They'd made him kill Lester. Abby! Oh god, he'd strangled Abby! They'd made love, she'd told him that she loved him and... oh no! True memories mixed with the skewed reality he'd lived inside his own mind. He fell from the bed and half stumbled, half crawled down the stairs.

"ABBY!" he shouted, not knowing if she was safe in her own bed like she was the night before, or if her naked, dead body lay prostrate atop the sheets where he'd left her after the murder. They collided in the hallway and upon seeing her alive and breathing and rushing to gather him in her arms he broke. He fell hard to his knees and cried out like a panicked and wounded animal. He buried his face against her stomach and dragged her down to the floor with him. Abby cradled him and let him cry himself out, stroking his hair and whispering comforting words to him. After the initial shock had worn off and he'd accepted that the woman in his arms was real and warm and alive, he composed himself. He released her and sat up, looking into her tear filled eyes.

"I remember," his said in a quiet voice. "I killed everyone! She made me..."

"Shhh, Connor you didn't. You didn't hurt any of us. You couldn't. No matter what Helen did to you, she couldn't make you. You were stronger than her." She hugged him and kept him in her arms while she related to him what had occurred. He'd accepted the terrible pain and gone against his programming. He'd been strong enough to fight it. He listened and tried to reconcile his memories versus what had actually occurred. As far as Connor was concerned he had kill his friends and his beloved Abby, but that was clearly impossible because she was with him now and talking to him. He had flashes of feeling that maybe he had resisted killing Nick and then... his head hurt, worse than anything he could ever have imagined. It all became blurry after that. Connor became away that he was shivering and so was Abby.

"You're cold," he said matter of fact.

"Why don't we put on some clothes? I'll make us some tea. Connor, I want to call Cutter. Please? He can explain better than I can."

"O... okay."

*!*!*

An hour later a very somber looking Nick Cutter arrived. He had with him a laptop computer and he looked like he hadn't been sleeping much. Abby brought them tea and listened for a while before sneaking away. She couldn't bear hearing again about the horrible things Connor had endured. She closed herself up in her bedroom and put on her iPod. She lay on her side, curling up into a little ball and shook. She kept reminding herself that Connor was alive and okay and that in time he'd be more like his old self. She wished she could make it so he didn't hurt anymore, but all she could do was love him and she prayed it would be enough. Meanwhile Cutter asked Connor to tell him what he remembered while he filled in the blanks. He had the footage that Helen had recorded on his laptop and Nick showed it to Connor with the sound off. Connor took it all in, but found himself interested when Helen appeared, going over the triggers with him. He was fascinated by seeing this other Connor, seeing how detached and unlike himself he was. It was something he couldn't wrap his mind around. He felt squeamish watching a team of doctor drilling into his skull and fitting in the implants. Connor was grateful he'd been spared the knowledge and ordeal of having them put in as well as removed. It was almost like it hadn't happened. _Almost._

"Connor?" asked Nick when Connor's attention seemed to have drifted off into space.

"What? Oh, sorry, just _thinking_," Connor replied with a sigh. "I was just wondering why she chose me?"

"I suppose it was because she knew what you meant to us, to the team and to me."

"I don't understand."

"No, you wouldn't. You wouldn't see it. Connor, you're invaluable." He gave the professor a look of disbelief and Nick chuckled. "Over the past couple of years you've proven to be a veritable encyclopedia when it comes to identifying creatures. You always know the answer a few seconds before I do. I also had no idea you were such a brilliant engineer, especially considering it was just a hobby. You created the anomaly detector and it's amazing! Give yourself a bit of time and you'll have that locking device in perfect working order. I know you've already written the computer program for digitizing my time map. But all of that, all of the science, it doesn't even compare to who _you_ are. You're brave. Foolishly brave, but brave nonetheless. And yes, half the time you trundle around like you've got your shoes on backwards, but you care so deeply about what happens to people. Even the way you pine after Abby like she's some unobtainable goddess when she's so clearly in love with you just as much as you are with her, is endearing. Stephen and I were good friends and I thought of him as a brother, but you... Connor you're like a son to me. That's why Helen chose you. She wanted to make us all suffer and using you to do it would hurt the most. You're the heart of us." Connor was amazed by the professor's words. He'd never had believed people had felt about him as had just been described, but there was a genuine sincerity in Nick's eyes that Connor was willing to accept it as truth.

"I..." Connor's voice broke and he quickly wiped away the tears that had started to fall. Nick patted the younger man's back and pulled him over to place a fatherly kiss on his temple.

"You look exhausted. You should try and sleep. Maybe if you're up to it you can come to the ARC tomorrow and look at the model. Sarah said she had a few more points to mark, something about a kraken."

"The kraken? Seriously?" Connor brightened at the thought. Nick smiled and nodded. Half an hour later the professor had gone home with a promise that when Connor was ready, they would sit down together and talk some more about what had happened. Nick would've suggested Connor go to some sort of counseling, but now wasn't the time. He suspected that Connor might be able to reconcile it on his own with his and Abby's support. He was certain Connor had the resilience inside him to recover.

Connor yawned and contemplated going up to bed. He sat alone for a while, listening to Sid and Nancy and their rumbling snores as they slept. After a while he went to Abby's door and peaked inside. She lay on her bed sound asleep. The earphones to her iPod had been pulled out of her ears and rested on her chest. He watched her for quite a while, hypnotized by the rise and fall of her chest. There was a flash in his mind of her dead naked body, laying in the same position as she was now. He tore himself away quickly and closed her door behind him. He took in several deep breaths and tried to compose himself. Abby _wasn't_ dead. She was just asleep. He hadn't done anything to hurt her. He went and sat himself down on the couch. He turned off the lamp so that he was plunged into darkness. At length, exhaustion overwhelmed him and he collapse back against the couch.

*!*!*

Connor returned to work at the ARC the following day. He knew others knew about his ordeal and it made him uncomfortable when they quickly looked away from staring at him when he caught them. He ignored them as best he could and concentrated on examining the professor's anomaly model as well as the artifact. When Abby joined him, asking him to take a break and join her for lunch, he shied away from her. He tried not to feel shame and guilt at the hurt expression on her face when he muttered something about not being hungry. He'd been cold to her that morning, barely speaking or looking at her. As much as he loved her, he couldn't bear the memories of hurting her, despite the fact that they'd all been inside his mind. Every time he looked at her he went back to that black, terrible place inside his head where he remembered what it was like to kill her.

Some things surprised him, like how he wasn't afraid to have a shower after Colonel Jaimenson's breaking of him with the water torture. He wasn't afraid to go near anything electrical either. He still liked watching television. He could get on companionably with Nick, Jenny and Lester despite having had visions of killing them. But what he couldn't abide was Abby. He couldn't shake the terrible fear inside that he could hurt her. He left work early without telling her and returned home to pack a bag. He disappeared without a word or even leaving her a note.

tbc...

One more part after this :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Is he here?" Abby asked, standing outside of Professor Cutter's front door. Nick sighed.

"Yeah he is. Here was waiting on the step when I got home last night," he replied. "He's still asleep. I thought it best not to wake him, he was up all night from bad dreams and this is the first stretch of hours he's settled." Nick stepped outside and closed his front door behind him. "He's having a rough go of it. He only left because he's afraid he'll hurt you. He's afraid Helen's programming is still in there, somewhere deep. He's really scared." Abby was visibly shaken and fought back her tears.

"That's not possible. Connor would never hurt me. He'd never hurt anyone."

"Of course he wouldn't. That doesn't stop him from being afraid. Abby, he just needs a little coaxing and a lot of love. I know you can give him that. Listen, I've got to go out for a while. He's in the front room, but let him sleep for now. He needs a good kip."

Abby had the feeling that the professor didn't really need to go out, but was just giving them the space they needed to sort things out. She found Connor asleep on the well worn leather sofa in the reception room. It was clearly the most lived in space in the whole house. With an equally as old and worn knit blanket over him, he looked almost childlike. For all intents and purposes Connor was fairly innocent. He _had_ been. Helen Cutter had changed that. Abby sat in the armchair and kept vigil. She hadn't had much sleep the previous night either, worrying herself sick over where he'd disappeared to. She waited up most of the night, expecting him to return. She warred between calling for help and giving him the space he needed. In the end she went looking for him herself. Her search started and ended at Nick Cutter's house.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, but when she was roused it seemed like maybe it was still morning as the sun still shone in the conservatory. Connor was mumbling and thrashing in his sleep. Abby noticed straight away that he was also crying. How awful and strange to be so affected by your dreams that they actually made you cry when you weren't even awake.

Abby knelt to the floor next to him. She'd read long ago that you weren't supposed to wake someone out of a dream, as the shock might be too great for them, so instead she cuddled him and wiped the tears from his eyes, saying his name in a quite voice to soothe him. After a few minutes he seemed to calm and a few minutes after that his eyes fluttered open.

"Ab... Abby?" he said in confusion. "Abby... you're... oh, of course... it was just a dream."

"You ran away from me, Conn." She was still close and it made him nervous. He extricated himself from her embrace and stood up, walking to the other side of the couch.

"You shouldn't be near me."

"Nonsense, this is exactly where I should be. Actually, we should both be at home."

"I'm dangerous." He said the words with such serious conviction that it broke Abby's heart.

"Connor, you're not. You're just not. You are good to your core and nothing Helen's done will ever change that. You couldn't even hurt Cutter, let alone me and I know how you feel about me."

"Abby, please don't do this. I can't... I can't be near you... what if..."

"What if everything's just fine?" She forced a confident air on to herself and looked him straight in the eye and challenged him. "What if I say, I love you, and nothing happens?" Watching Connor all but cave in on himself served further to shatter her heart. She saw his immense relief at hearing her words and _not _feeling the urge to hurt her. The trigger didn't work. At the same time, finally hearing those three little words in the real world undid him completely. She gathered him up in her arms for a fierce hug, letting him cry, feeling his tears against her bare neck. "I'm in love you, Connor. Please come home."

*!*!*

The next several days were filled with tension, but at the least Connor wasn't avoiding Abby. She didn't try and push him, but she also wouldn't let him shut her out. He avoided discussion about his ordeal, but Abby made sure he was fully aware that she would be there if he wanted to talk. She told him she loved him when the opportunity presented itself. Every time it made him turn red with embarrassment. She only did it when they were alone and he did say the words back to her and sometimes they kissed. He spent the bulk of his time divided between mapping Nick's model into the computer and trying to figure out the artifact from the future. Slowly but surely he was building himself back up again.

At home, things still weren't completely relaxed. At night Connor went upstairs to his own room and Abby to hers. The idea of going into her room made him desperately uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject of her maybe spending the night upstairs with him. Her touch seemed to both electrify him and to make him wither. He was a tempest of emotion and Abby knew if he didn't let some of it go soon it would hurt him badly in the long run. He had to deal with what had happened. It would take more courage than what he could muster at the moment to see a psychiatrist, but if he could open up to her the way he had with Nick, then she was sure he'd take a big leap forward in his recovery. They had love and they had trust, but Connor had yet to realize it fully.

Because of Connor's persistently disturbed nights, Abby had become a light sleeper. She heard him walking around the flat and looked over at her beside clock. The green lit numbers of her clock radio indicated it was 3:08am. She contemplated getting up to check on him, but resisted. She didn't want him to feel like she was mother henning him. She heard him go into the bathroom and the sound of water filling the tub. She fought the panic, thinking terrible thoughts like he might be slitting his wrists. She worked herself up into a near hysteria when the flat went completely silent. She scrambled from the bed and rush to the bathroom door. She halted when she heard a splash of water. She listened intently and when she heard the sound of him weeping, she pushed open the door and walked inside. He was in the dark and she turned on the little nightlight in the corner by the sink.

"Connor? Are you okay?" she asked, already knowing the answer. He looked up and saw her there and flushed with embarrassment.

"I was cold. Sometimes I come over with this terrible cold and I need a way to warm up. I thought a bath would work best. I... I had another nightmare. I don't know what I'm crying. I'm... I'm sitting in the bathtub blubbering like a child!" Abby closed the distance between them and sunk to the floor at his side. She rested her cheek against the side of the tub and just watched him, waiting for him to continue, to open up. She touched his elbow that was planted on the rim, then gradually to his upper arm, rubbing it in a comforting gesture. Connor watched her, grateful for her patience and her presence. "You have such kind eyes, you know that?" He reached over and cupped her face, caressing the apple of her cheek with his thumb. "I am getting better. Even if it isn't obvious. I'm trying."

"I know you are, Conn. I'm really proud of you for it. And you're not a child. You're a man, a very strong one. After what you've been through, to still come out of it in your right mind, with the same good heart. You amaze me with your strength." He sighed, exhausted and frustrated. He slumped forward and buried his face in his hands. He felt like he was torn to shreds on the inside.

"In m'head, I still see myself killing you. Abby, I strangled you with my bare hands! I can feel it in my fingertips, choking the life out of you!"

"It wasn't real, Connor. It never will be." She got up on her knees and hugged him around his shoulders, resting her cheek against his bare back.

"Can you stay with me tonight? I mean... in my bed?" Abby smiled and hugged him tighter. She drew back and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Of course I can, and every night after if you want. Why don't we do a little redecorating? We'll make the loft our new bedroom. We can get a new bed, new furniture, make it _ours_."

"R... really?"

"Would you like that?" He nodded his head. She kissed his face again and rose.

"I'll be upstairs waiting for you. You won't be long?"

"No, love. I'll be right up. Thank you Abby. You really have been great."

"Connor, I love you. I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy."

"You do. Go on, I'll be up in a minute."

True to her word, Connor found Abby upstairs waiting for him in bed. She was laying on her stomach with her head on his pillow. Even with the covers pulled half way up her body he could tell that she was completely naked. On the floor by his bedside table were the panties and vest she'd been wearing. She looked up at him, the kindness in her eyes he'd spoke of earlier still shining up at him. He hesitated.

"I hope you don't mind. It isn't about sex. It's about comfort, and love. I thought maybe you'd be okay with it. We don't have to do anything. I just want to be close to you."

"Okay... yeah..." He climbed in next to her, pulling the towel away from around his waist as he did so. Abby inched over until she could wrap her arms around him. He told her everything. He told her how in his version of what had happened, they'd made love and how beautiful and perfect it had been and how her admission of love had been the catalyst to her demise and what he'd done to her. He included the story of his own suicide. He hadn't shared those details with anyone but her and Abby felt a great swell of love for him with his trusting her with the whole terrible truth. They talked until slumber overcame them. Connor slept peacefully through the rest of the night and on into morning.

*!*!*

When Connor awoke he felt remarkably well rested. He yawned and stretched and after a few minutes of rousing himself from his haze, he realized he was not alone in the bed. Laying next to him slept Abby. A very naked Abby. For the first time, seeing her in the nude and laying on her back didn't remind him of his nightmares. She had a slight smile on her face, one arm back against his pillow that she'd proffered from him the night before and the other across one breast, she was half exposed and it was certainly tempting him. He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. How long had it been since Helen had take him? Five or six weeks at least. She'd scrambled up the Connor Temple he used to be. She'd perverted and tainted the sweetness that he'd managed to hold on to for so long despite the trials and tribulations of his life thus far. She'd taken something vital from him and certainly it didn't change who he was fundamentally, but she'd changed aspect of him. He was raw now, but in time he'd heal, grow a thicker skin. He'd be okay. He could see that now. Still, he felt frayed and downtrodden. It would be a long journey. Fortunately it wouldn't be a lonely one, not with Abby at his side.

He made a mental checklist for himself. There was important work to be done at the ARC to begin with. He had the artifact to figure out as well as mapping Cutter's model. He also had the anomaly locking device to perfect, but he was confident he could manage that. A whole bunch of unidentified tech was seized from Helen's lair that needed to be tested and catalogued. Work was sorted. He'd be buried in it for months. Despite everything that had happened Connor doubted Lester would let him take any sort of vacation. He'd already been out of commission for weeks thanks to his coma. However, maybe he'd be allowed to get away for a weekend with Abby some time in the future. Abby was another thing that seemed to be sorted. They hadn't actually had much proper time as a couple. The idea that they were together now still made his head reel. They'd been friends and flatmates for years now, but aside from lots of comfort and kisses, they hadn't had much bonding on more intimate levels. The night before had been just that. Have shared with her everything that Helen had done to him and the after effects had lifted a great burden from his shoulders. She'd cried with him, shared his pain. He was beginning to understand just how true love worked. He looked over at her sleeping form and a bright smile appeared on his face. She was really incredibly beautiful and she'd proven that she loved him. So long as he had her, Connor could get through anything. Deciding he deserved a little reward for all his trouble he inched in closer to Abby. He pulled away the covers to expose her complete and he splayed his hand out over her stomach and waited for her to react. She didn't wake. Gliding his hands up her side and over her ribs, his hand cupped her breast and he thumbed the nipple. He watched her face and was pleased to see that little sliver of a smile on her face broadened. She opened her eyes.

"Good morning," she said, arching into his touch. "I think I know what that look means."

"I trust you think it means that you're about to get shagged," replied Connor. He descended and replaced his thumb with his lips and tongue. Abby gasped and mewled, her arousal climbing rapidly.

"That's what I was hoping!" He moved atop her and she instinctively opened her legs to welcome him. He moved from her breasts to kiss her mouth, slow and sweet.

"I love you, Abby." With that he pushed inside her, enjoying her soft sigh of pleasure. For that moment, all his woes evaporated.

"I love you, Connor."

He smiled. This was nothing like he'd imagined, nothing like the visions he'd had before. This was better.

The End


End file.
